Yemen’s Houthi rebels have released a video claiming to show a successful attack on a British oil tanker in the Red Sea. The ship, the Cordelia Moon, appears to erupt in an explosion on its port side. The rebels claim a combination of ballistic missiles, and aerial drone, and an uncrewed surface boat (USB) were used in the attack.
We always have to be slightly careful with Houthi claims in such circumstances because they are prone to exaggerate. However in this case the visual evidence seems pretty convincing.
They have previous form here, these Houthis do. They have carried out roughly 100 attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea since last November as a gesture of “solidarity” with the Palestinian people in Gaza. During this campaign they have sunk two ships, captured another, and killed four crewmen.
They claim to have targeted ships connected with Israel, the USA, and the UK, but in reality they are much more indiscriminate than that. The Houthis form part of what is being called the “three Hs” – Hamas, Houthis, and Hezbollah – which form a major part of the so-called Axis on Resistance.
All three are armed, financed, and sponsored by Iran. They also attempt to attack Israel directly with drones and ballistic missiles. Already this month they claim to have attacked military targets in Tel Aviv and Eilat with four Samed-4 UAVs. The IDF meanwhile stated that it had intercepted an UAV over the Mediterranean Sea, near the shore of central Israel.
These attacks have prompted responses from Israel, the USA, and the UK (and multiple other allies), mainly in the form of attacks to destroy Houthi missile launchers and military infrastructure. Most recently Israeli warplanes attacked the key Houthi port city of Hodeidah in Yemen, causing widespread power outages and huge fires.
Who are the Houthis and what’s their beef? Briefly, they are a Shia Muslim political and military organisation based in Yemen, where they oppose the internationally-recognised government.
Their insurgency is most often regarded as a proxy front for the Iran–Saudi Arabia confrontation which has dragged on over several years.
This has morphed into conflict with Israel and its allies, hence the attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The effect of international trade has been significant; to avoid attack hundreds of vessels have re-routed their voyages around southern Africa, a major disruption to global trade.
To counter this, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2722 , condemning the Houthi attacks and affirming freedom of navigation, and the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian was launched to protect Red Sea shipping.
Since January this year, the US and UK have led coalition air and missile strikes against the Houthis, while other countries have independently patrolled the waters near Yemen, attacking Houthi vessels. Undaunted, in May Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said, “We will target any ships heading to Israeli ports in the Mediterranean Sea in any area we are able to reach”.
So this is a continuing saga, and the attack on the Cordelia Moon just the most recent chapter. What will happen now is still a matter for conjecture, but I don’t think the allied nations will take it lying down. We are likely to see renewed attacks against the Houthis on land and sea, and I have no doubt that Britain will be directly involved as we have been before.
But once again I feel that we are applying sticking plasters to the wounds rather than tackling the root cause. And that is the mediaeval, theocratic, and barbaric regime in Tehran, which has sworn death and destruction on the US, the UK, and above all Israel.
In the Middle East as a whole we should be talking about the “Iranian Problem” and how it is going to be resolved, otherwise the current level of warfare is in danger of becoming the norm. And nobody, including the civilian populations of Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and a host of other countries on the periphery, will relish that thought.
Lt Col Stuart Crawford is a political and defence commentator and former army officer. Sign up for his podcasts and newsletters at www.DefenceReview.uk
